26.10.09

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO WEMBLEY

The race is on for a place in the Wembley Masters and Ken Doherty must be one of the front runners.

Last season, Doherty arrived at Pontin’s in Prestatyn having spent 15 years in the elite top 16.

It was a comedown and took some getting used to. The 1997 world champion must have been wondering how this could have happened so suddenly.

He didn’t get used to it last year but he has now and has won all four of his matches at the North Wales qualifying school so far this season.

Doherty, now 40, won the Masters qualifying event in 1991 when he was 22.

Much has happened in his career since but he still possesses great guile and, with his confidence high, he has a spring in his step at the moment.

He competed at Wembley for 17 successive seasons until 2008.

It was the tournament where he suffered his worst moment as a professional when he missed the black off its spot on 140 in the 2000 final against Matthew Stevens, thus missing out on a sports car worth £80,000 and a slice of snooker history 16 years after Kirk Stevens made the first Masters maximum.

Ken thinks he will be remembered for that shot. He won’t be. He’ll be remembered for being world champion but it’s also true that the likes of me invariably bring it up when writing about him in connection with the game's premier invitation event.

The Irishman starts out against Michael White, who beat him in one of the pro-am finals at Prestatyn recently.

If not Doherty for the title then who?

The likes of Ricky Walden, Jamie Cope and last year’s winner, Judd Trump, are always worth following as is Stuart Bingham, the only player to win this qualifying event twice.

And Matt Selt is yet to lose a match at Prestatyn this season so has to be fancied to do well.

How about an outsider? Well, experience can only be a help so Fergal O’Brien is my dark horse.

It’s nine years since he lost 10-9 in the final to Paul Hunter, the first of Paul’s three terrific comebacks.

Fergal tells me he has joined Lucan Harriers and is now running up to six miles at a time.

This doesn’t mean he is going to start storming back up the rankings but it suggests a positive attitude if nothing else.

Fergal could win this he looks in okay form, but dont write off Jimmy after his recent win. I saw on Twitter you want Ken I dont know if thats so Clive can commentate as I imagine he won't if Ken isn't playing. You do seem to have a soft spot for Ken. He seems a nice guy, but I wouldnt say he is one of the most exciting players to watch.

Just saw the viewing figures for the grand prix 1.63 million for the final session, about as good as last year, but behind the figures for Peter Andre the next Chapter (1.77 million) so not all positive

I have no problem with that but Ebdon has been in exciting matches down the years and he is one of the worse to watch. I reckon doherty reads this blog thats why you banned that comment I wrote about him! I dont know if you can shed any light on this but why do certain players on the main tour not take part in the Masters qualifying as surely all get invited? Is it a financial thing?

I'd have fancied Doherty before the off but don't know what his price was. Best of nines are bad enough to predict but these best of sevens are effectively a bit of a lottery. I don't think there's a lot of value in having a punt on the favourites in this format.

Oh my God, David. Just having read your statement, regarding Doherty and April,May 2003 at The Crucible, how the memories come flooding back to me. I have them all on tape also. Last 32, A 10-9 thriller on the final black over Shaun Murphy. Last 16, an equally titanic stuggle to beat Graeme Dott 13-12. As Clive Everton said a few days after his quarter final. in it, " After thhe euphoria of leading John Higgins 10-0, in the Quarter finals, he had to face the unthinkable prospect of defeat, when Higgins came back to 10-7, and nearly 10-8, before Doherty closed out the match, 13-8. Last 4 against Paul Hunter, Doherty is still, I think, the only player to convert into a win, a defacit of 6 down with 9 to play , at 15-9, going into the final session. Previously in the match, having trailed 6-2 and 11-5. From 15-9, 8 frames from the concluding 9 for the Dubliner enabled him to prevail 17-16. In the final, he trailed Mark Williams, 7-1 after 1 session, 10-2 at the interval of the 2nd. Overnight he trialed 11-5. He drew back to 11 all, 12 all, 13 all, 14 all, 16-14 down, 16 all, eventually losing 16 16. Clive Everton came out with a great statement, with which I totally agree, when that final was over. He said, " It's Williams's title. In many respects, it's been Doherty's championship." 132 out of a possible 137 frames were played with Doherty's participation. I believe this to still be a record. Fantastic memories for me as a snooker fan.

I really can’t understand: why do commentators feel compelled to make predictions? More often then not, they are wildly and hilariously wrong both in ‘predicting’ the shots in a game and in ‘predicting’ the results. What is this? Masochism? Self-Ego-flagellation? Informed(Hahaha!) theoretical gambling?

So if Ken had of won this you would have been shouting from the roof tops, he gets beat and you say "Yeah, I didn't actually make any prediction" So what was this comment all about then "If not Doherty for the title then who?" this comment sound like you was predicting Ken.

To Jamie O'reilly: You mention you have tapes of 2003 world championship ,any chance you could upload them to make available for downloading ? Anyone else have any torrent sites where we could access some recorded snooker ?

For some reason someone on here has it in for Trump.If losing yesterday was significant, why does it not reflect on his already impressive CV that he won the thing last year?His performances in winning the Championship League and his subsequent form in the Premier League show what a great talent he is.And in short, I can think of 30 or 40 players who have been hyped up and achieved less than Trump who is still only twenty years old.There seems to be much local rivalry in his part of the world, the match between Trump and Stephen Lee in the final world qualifier was a feisty affair.Its a Trwobridge/Bristol thing maybe, the rest of us would never understand.

I write on here as I am passionate about snooker. I dont understand why Dave puts up those posts about whether or not im winding up people it has nothing to do with snooker. People in snooker have their favourites so will bask in their glory and the people they dont like enjoy their failings it is a sad fact of sports supporting.

We say it was ungracious but at the same time Journalists love that sort of quote. To be honest I sort of like a bit of needle it creates rivalries and can add tension. I didn't agree with Ronnie's comments in 2002 before the Hendry World semi, but it sure made it more exciting, I think Willie said in commentary that he never anticipated a snooker match as much as this one. I personally think that next time Trump and Lee play it will be more exciting than what was said. Lee was not offensive in his comments he just started talking a bit like a boxer would. Trump and Mark King have had ftiction so maybe it is something to do with 'Golden Boy'. I actually think for the record though Trump will be a top eight player , but not an all time great. The truly great players of the last 20 years all won a ranking event as a teenager.

It did as Ronnie lost, but he played well in those days I supported Hendry, but I switched to Ronnie as I didnt appreciate his genius then. I know people will say it smacks of giving up on Hendry though. Fair enough about Williams as he is a great but Higgins, Ronnie and Hendry did, so too Ding and also Paul Hunter. I felt Hunter could have reached greatness if it wasn't for his sad death. Ding I still believe can. My theory is not 100 per cent right, but not far off the mark though.

As for Lee well Im only going off what was said in Snooker Scene. Unless he was racist or really damning about his family or something then I have no real problem with it I like Lee. King had annoyed Trump I must point out with swearing, but as King follows me on Twitter I won't have anything bad said about King! I want Hamilton to win it now, he can go slow Dave, but he is in the top ten breakbuilders off all time, it is a mystery in a way that he didn't win a ranking event.

I write my comments for my amusement, it is a bonus if people are interested in anything I have to say. Im all for freedom of speech, but I really don't get why Dave puts up comments like that as it is not about snooker, but I suppose that is the problem with blogs.